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galahad
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 9
Location: USA
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 Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 9:59 pm Post subject: Do FC Japanese import games work on either U.S. NES System? |
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| I'm thinking of buying a couple of Famicom games (from Japan), and I was wondering if they'll play on either the original NES or the 1991 top-loading NES. If not, can modifications be done to either the games or the system to play them? Thanks! |
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The Green Meanie
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 218
Location: The New Wave
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 10:09 pm Post subject: |
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| ....You're joking, right? You need an FC<NES adapter to play Japanese games on an NES. |
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galahad
Joined: 01 Jul 2005
Posts: 9
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 11:35 pm Post subject: |
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| No, I'm not joking. The top-loading NES got rid of the lockout chip (not to mention that said system looks identical in NA and JP), so I was wondering if it would play JP games. I was similarly curious in regards to the SNES playing JP SFC games, and apparently all one needs to do for the SNES is remove two small tabs on either side of the cart-loading area. |
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Skrybe
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Joined: 28 Aug 2003
Posts: 1610
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 12:06 am Post subject: |
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| The presence of the lockout chip shouldn't make a difference when playing FC games. Like The Green Meanie said, the only issue is getting a converter, since the contacts don't match between the two systems. |
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sailoranna
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 16
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 11:46 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, the cart inside boards are not only a different size but have a different number of pins *I can only assume for the lock out chip*. I think the adaper just routes those pins to nothing. There is about 3-4 ways to play famicom games that I know of.
First you can try to find a published famicom adapter on Ebay. These however are rare.
Second you can try to check old nintendo titles for an adapter. In some early games made by nintendo there were adapters already built into carts, because it was a surplus famicom version of the game and an adapter to fit into a US NES. This happened rarely, in some copies of gyromite and super mario brothers *not the duck hunt combo* and a few other titles. Not ALL copies of these titles have an adapter built into them, its really rare, and you wont know unless you open them up.
The third and easiest, it to find one of those famiclones in a mall or flea market. The n64 controler i see the most around. Under it where a rumble pack would go is a 68 pin slide that usually has one of those 60000 in 1 carts, but I think you can take that off and but a standard famicom game in there and it should work, though I have not tried that. Last is importing a famicom itself.
I have about 25 famicom games and I'm still looking for an adapter, so they havent been easy to come by. Good luck. |
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KingMike
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 898
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| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| sailoranna wrote: | Second you can try to check old nintendo titles for an adapter. In some early games made by nintendo there were adapters already built into carts, because it was a surplus famicom version of the game and an adapter to fit into a US NES. This happened rarely, in some copies of gyromite and super mario brothers *not the duck hunt combo* and a few other titles. Not ALL copies of these titles have an adapter built into them, its really rare, and you wont know unless you open them up.
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Yeah, I have one of those. You'd need to find a cart made in like the 1985 test market launch. I just bought one of ebay.
I've been told it was soon after the nationwide USA launch that NoA started to manufature NES boards, as opposed to Famicom carts on an adapter.
The advantage to buying of these is that since the adapter's an NoA-produced device (though not for this purpose, obviously, heh) the lockout chip'll accept anything I plug in.
Though with a genuine Famicom, you can get the enhanced sound built into some Japanese carts (apparently, Nintendo cut the extra sound channel out of the NES hardware).
Really, those N64 controller bootlegs can accept Famicom carts? I'd have bought one if I knew that.
(I don't care so much for the crappy 69023802830-in-one multicart, (already got real carts of most of the games I'm interested in) but a real Famicom is kinda expensive these days.) |
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sailoranna
Joined: 19 Dec 2004
Posts: 16
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:35 am Post subject: |
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| Well I dont know for sure that the n64 famiclones play famicom games, but I do know most have the famicom slot, so I just assumed, anyone have any proof? |
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Mia D
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 162
Location: AUSTIN TEXAS
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:47 am Post subject: |
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They do play famicom games.
I saw one in action a few weeks ago and after a little pushing it played famicom games quite nicely. |
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Blitzwing
Staff
Joined: 01 Nov 2003
Posts: 288
Location: las vegas
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| Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:47 am Post subject: |
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stackup will always have the converter inside (and loose copies are super easy to find on ebay for about 5$)
a small bit of warning, you may have to shave the end of the connector for certain famicom games (notably bandai games) as they don't quite fit easily. |
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KingMike
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 898
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| Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:18 am Post subject: |
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Neither of my first two Famicom carts fit initially.
Kaijyu Monogatari (Namco(t), earlier cart shape - usually black, rectangular box except notched on the front to fit in the cart slot)
and Satomi Hakkenden (SNK), which used the standard Nintendo of Japan cart shape (the front is beveled on three sides).
Oh, and as you might already know, typically Famicom games need to be inserted into an NES upside-down/backwards, because Famicom games were "notched" on the front side, whereas NES games had the notched edges on the back. |
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DarkTetsuya
Joined: 05 Sep 2003
Posts: 80
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| sailoranna wrote: | Yeah, the cart inside boards are not only a different size but have a different number of pins *I can only assume for the lock out chip*. I think the adaper just routes those pins to nothing. There is about 3-4 ways to play famicom games that I know of.
First you can try to find a published famicom adapter on Ebay. These however are rare.
Second you can try to check old nintendo titles for an adapter. In some early games made by nintendo there were adapters already built into carts, because it was a surplus famicom version of the game and an adapter to fit into a US NES. This happened rarely, in some copies of gyromite and super mario brothers *not the duck hunt combo* and a few other titles. Not ALL copies of these titles have an adapter built into them, its really rare, and you wont know unless you open them up.
The third and easiest, it to find one of those famiclones in a mall or flea market. The n64 controler i see the most around. Under it where a rumble pack would go is a 68 pin slide that usually has one of those 60000 in 1 carts, but I think you can take that off and but a standard famicom game in there and it should work, though I have not tried that. Last is importing a famicom itself.
I have about 25 famicom games and I'm still looking for an adapter, so they havent been easy to come by. Good luck. |
In regards to the 'Surplus Famicom game' adapters, there was a site that had a giant list of the games that were known to have the adapter built into the carts. Also, the carts that do have it have five screws on the back (as opposed to three screws and two tabs up top.) and don't have the 'REV-A' on the label.
Although recently I did come across a 76000-in-1 N64 controller, so I don't have to fumble with finding an NES game that has one. (If you're looking for a way to get the cart open, try an eyeglass flathead screwdriver.)
DT |
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